You may have had emails from Companies House asking you to verify your identity amd/or explaining that filing company accounts is going to change. Companies House are implementing the next set of stages required by the The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Act These changes are starting from Autum this year, though some are in place already. The changes focus around improving the data on the registers and tackling Economic Crime.

The first changes came into effect on 4th March 2024 (click here to read more) and affect anyone who wants to file accounts or confirmation statements for existing companies, or incorporate a new company.

Read on for the next set:

Identity Verification

From this Autumn, Companies House require the verification of Identity for all Company Directors and Person with Significant Control (PSCs). This means you will need to provide the following photo ID

  • biometric passport* from any country
  • UK photo driving licence (full or provisional)
  • UK biometric residence permit (BRP)
  • UK biometric residence card (BRC)
  • UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP)
*Biometric passports have a small rectangular symbol on the front cover

You’ll also need:

  • your current address, and the year you moved in
  • to sign in to or create a GOV.UK One Login: using your ID and a smartphone

If you do not have any of these types of photo ID but live in the UK, you can verify in one of the following ways:

  • in person at the Post Office
  • with bank or building society details - you’ll then need to provide your National Insurance number and answer some security questions
  • through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider: by taking your documents to a company formation agents, solicitor, accountans, chartered secretary or governance professional.

Tips: your information at Companies House will need to exactly match that on your identity documents. If your forname(s), surname or date of birth differ slightly, the verfication may fail. It's a good idea to check the information now and update before you start verification

The End of Web Filing

From 1 April 2027, all companies will need to file their accounts using commercial software. This applies to directors who file accounts themselves, and companies who use a professional (such as an accountant) to file their accounts, even if your company is dormant.

Companies House Web Filing and paper-based services will be closed for accounts filings. However, you will still be able to use the web services to file other statutory information for your company.

Additional Requirement to file Profit & Loss Account

From 1 April 2027, companies will no longer be able to prepare and file ‘abridged’ accounts. For smaller companies, the change means filing your profit and loss account (Income Statement) in addition to the usual documents.